Pages

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Lent- Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. The season of Lent is a time of reflecting on what Jesus has done for us by giving His life on the Cross. It makes us realize how much we need a Savior.

It is a time to remember what we truly believe and to listen in awe to God's promises. Lent is first and foremost about baptism. Baptism is about going down with Christ unto death and being raised up with Him to glory. Lent is about dying to all human supports which blind us from seeing that true life is in God alone.

The custom of placing ashes on the forehead began in the Old Testament as a sign of repentance and sorrow. The ashes are made using the left over palm branches from last year’s Palm Sunday Mass. The ashes are placed on your forehead as a sign of repentance. They remind us that one day we will die and the shape of the cross reminds us that whether we live or whether we die, we are not alone.